SPRINGFIELD — In a month where Dr. Seuss’ character the Grinch usually takes center stage, the Lorax has seemed to push him out of the way in one holiday exhibition.
At the “Gingerbread: In the Land of Sugar & Seuss” exhibit at the Springfield Science Museum, the popularity of the Lorax by contestants stood out. In the 14 years that the Springfield Museums held its annual gingerbread contest, this is the third time they had a Dr. Seuss theme for the competition.
“The thing I like the best is that there are so many family entries, families coming together to do it,” says Larissa M. Murray, director of education at the museums.
This year’s competition featured a total of 39 gingerbread displays. Sixteen of those were family division entries, meaning they participated with children 12 and younger, six were youth entries (ages 13-18), fifteen were adult entries, and two were professional entries.
The museums’ website lays out a few simple rules for the competition. All displays must be original and made of gingerbread, not crackers. They must be based on the work of Dr. Seuss, and “all visible components of the display must be edible,” the exhibition’s rules state.
This means that if there are lights or other nonedible features, they must be covered in an edible material. Gingerbread, royal icing, frosting and fondant were all popular choices.
While the displays featured many of Dr. Seuss’s beloved characters such as the Cat in the Hat, the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who, The Lorax was the focus of six of this year’s gingerbread displays.
A detail from one of the displays being exhibited at the Springfield Museums’ annual gingerbread exhibition in December 2023. This year, many bakers took inspiration from Dr. Seuss’ beloved character the Lorax. (Nicole Williams photo)nicole williams
“Most people don’t build houses,” Murray said. “They build scenes.”
This was especially depicted with the Lorax submissions.
In the family division of the exhibit, the Ciley family of Agawam created a scene featuring the Lorax entitled “I Speak for the Trees.”
In the caption for their entry, they wrote: “The Lorax, who teaches us through his wisdom about the magical powers of having a voice, was the best representation of how everyday people can do magical things.”
The submission featured the Lorax standing on a peanut butter cup in front of a gingerbread building that read “Thneeds” in red licorice, decorated in royal icing, Jolly Ranchers windows and Cinnamon Toast Crunch roof tiles.
The Dr. Seuss character the Lorax features prominently in a gingerbread scene on display at the Springfield Museums in December 2023. (Nicole Williams photo)nicole williams
Colleen King Taylor, of Northampton, was another contestant who chose to focus on the Lorax in the adult division with an entry titled “The Onceler Family Workshop.”
King Taylor recounted how she used to read the book to her son when he was young and he expressed “a controversial opinion; that the Onceler was in fact very smart and talented to have invented thneeds.”
With gingerbread, fondant, molded candies, pasta and seeds, she created a scene that depicted the Onceler’s small family enterprise engaged in more sustainable business practices.
Many families participate in the gingerbread exhibit as a yearly tradition. Some like Anne Perticone, of Winchester, were excited to be participating for the first time. Perticone has made gingerbread houses with friends and family for years, but she made the hour-and-a-half drive this year to enter her first competition.
The displays are not graded and all participants are gifted with an award for their contribution along with a free pass to the museum for the duration of the exhibit. Visiting guests can vote for their favorite displays using a QR code on the museum’s mobile guide. Displays with the most votes will be featured on the museum’s blog in mid-January.
“Gingerbread: In the Land of Sugar & Seuss” runs until Dec. 31 and is located in the Springfield Science Museum’s Changing Exhibits Gallery.
